He did this on a wildlife preserve. Tough to maintain the ecosystem to maintain wildiife when some asshole is coming in and cutting down as many trees this guy did. This wasn't one tree belonging to a neighbor, this was several trees on federally protected land. One guy shouldn't be able to undermine the mission of a federal agency, so the punishment should be enough to prevent people from trying. Besides, there is plenty of suburban sprawl. What is rare is true wilderness and people shouldn't go farking with what little we have left.

I am the proud owner of 8 of those black walnut bastards. Here's what they've done for me.1. Prevented me from getting DirecTV2. Given me a squirrel population of approximately 40003. Caused huge bare spots in my yard because grass won't grow under them.4. Prevented me from having a garden because a. They block the sun b. They make the soil toxic